Verkehrsbetriebe Westfalen-Süd

Verkehrsbetriebe Westfalen-Süd GmbH (VWS) is a German regional bus operator based in Siegen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It provides public transport services in the districts of Siegen-Wittgenstein and Olpe, operating under the Westfalentarif fare association and the Verkehrsgemeinschaft Westfalen-Süd. The company runs a network of express, regional, local, night, and city bus lines, as well as on-demand TaxiBus services. It is owned by the WernGroup, a Siegen-based transport group, since 2012. VWS was established on 12 January 1970, when the bus operations of Siegener Kreisbahn were spun off and merged into Kraftverkehr Olpe, with the company renamed accordingly. It was initially an Aktiengesellschaft (AG) with shares held by Siegener Kreisbahn, Kreis Olpe, and the town of Lennestadt. Over the decades, ownership changed several times: in 2005 the company was sold to Stadtwerke Bonn (SWB) and converted into a GmbH; in 2009 it was sold to Transdev SZ; and in 2012 it was acquired by Regionalverkehr Westfalen-Süd (RWS), part of the WernGroup. Today, VWS operates a fleet of articulated and solo buses from manufacturers such as MAN, Mercedes-Benz, and Iveco, as well as bus trailers from Hess. The company's main administration is located in the Eiserfeld district of Siegen, with additional depots in Bad Laasphe, Drolshagen, Lennestadt-Altenhundem, Netphen-Deuz, Olpe, and Wilnsdorf. VWS employs around 227 staff (as of the 2012 acquisition) and holds concessions for several bus route bundles in the region, awarded in 2017. VWS is a participant in the Westfalentarif and offers tickets including the DeutschlandTicket and SchülerTicket. It also provides services such as bus advertising, vehicle rentals for school authorities, and group tours. The company's website provides timetables, real-time departures, ticket sales, and company information.

Verkehrsbetriebe Westfalen-Süd (VWS) was formed on 12 January 1970, when the entire bus operations of Siegener Kreisbahn were spun off and contributed to Kraftverkehr Olpe, and the company was renamed accordingly. Although Kreisbahn was the larger partner, the company remained registered in the commercial register in Olpe, but its headquarters were moved from Olpe to Siegen. The AG's shareholders were Siegener Kreisbahn with two-thirds, Kreis Olpe with 27.67%, and the town of Lennestadt with 5.67%. Later, Lennestadt's share was transferred to Kreis Olpe, giving the latter one-third of all shares. In summer 2005, both shareholders sold VWS entirely to Stadtwerke Bonn (SWB) for 3.3 million euros, retroactively to 1 January. Under SWB ownership, the company changed its legal form from an Aktiengesellschaft to a GmbH in 2005. On 19 November 2008, SWB Bus und Bahn put VWS up for sale, and on 26 February 2009 it was announced that SWB had sold VWS to Transdev SZ of Neuwied, retroactively to 1 January 2009. In the following months, Transdev SZ's headquarters were gradually moved to Siegen, to the Marienhütte site. In early March 2011, the parent company Transdev merged with the French transport group Veolia Transport to form Veolia Transdev. In July 2012, it was announced that Veolia had sold its shares in VWS's parent company Transdev SZ to Regionalverkehr Westfalen-Süd (RWS), a Siegen-based company belonging to the Wern Group. Under a termination agreement, all Transdev subsidiaries except VWS and its subsidiary Suerlänner went to Veolia. Sale negotiations had begun in September 2011. It was agreed that the 227 employees would keep their jobs through a job guarantee until 2018, the end of the then-current concession period. In 2016, due to improved economic efficiency, the Zweckverband Personennahverkehr Westfalen Süd created new local transport plans for the responsible districts, bundling lines into packages and tendering these bundles individually. In 2017, VWS alone acquired the concessions for the Mitte (Siegen area), Ost (Wittgenstein region), Süd (Neunkirchen and Burbach), Nordwest (Olpe), and Nordost (Lennestadt area) packages. The company's main administration is located in the Eiserfeld district of Siegen, where the largest vehicle fleet is also based. Other operating locations are maintained in Bad Laasphe, Drolshagen, Lennestadt-Altenhundem, Netphen-Deuz, Olpe, and Wilnsdorf. In the past, the company divested itself of, among others, the depot in Hilchenbach-Dahlbruch, which was not used as such by VWS. In November 1996, VWS had taken over the local bus company Schmidt, which held the concession for today's line R11 between Kreuztal and Hilchenbach. Shortly after the takeover, the depot was dissolved and the property rented out. With the timetable change on 22 December 2003, the Buschhütten depot (former tram) was closed. After VWS was taken over by SWB, the Büschergrund depot near Freudenberg was closed in April 2006. Vehicles and drivers now operate from Siegen, with some drivers transferred to other locations upon request. The depot in Kreuztal-Krombach, originally taken over from Ideal Reisen, has since been rented to Kraftverkehr Alchetal, which also operates on behalf of VWS. VWS operates in the area of the Zweckverband Westfalen Süd (ZWS), which acts as the responsible authority, and belongs to the Verkehrsgemeinschaft Westfalen-Süd. The VWS fleet in scheduled service includes articulated buses from MAN and Mercedes-Benz, as well as solo buses from MAN, Mercedes-Benz, and Iveco. Bus trailers from Hess are also used in combination with MAN solo buses, giving a total length of 23 meters. In addition to the vehicles listed, numerous vehicles from other Wern companies and subcontractors are also used.

• 2017

  VWS alone acquired the concessions for the Mitte, Ost, Süd, Nordwest, and Nordost packages.

• 2016

  Zweckverband Personennahverkehr Westfalen Süd created new local transport plans, bundling lines into packages for tender.

• 2012

  In July, Veolia sold its shares in Transdev SZ to Regionalverkehr Westfalen-Süd (RWS), part of the Wern Group; VWS came under WernGroup ownership.

• 2011

  In early March, parent company Transdev merged with Veolia Transport to form Veolia Transdev.

• 2009

  On 26 February, it was announced that SWB had sold VWS to Transdev SZ of Neuwied, retroactively to 1 January.

• 2008

  On 19 November, SWB Bus und Bahn put VWS up for sale.

• 2006

  In April, the Büschergrund depot near Freudenberg was closed after the SWB takeover.

• 2005

  Both shareholders sold VWS entirely to Stadtwerke Bonn (SWB) for 3.3 million euros, retroactively to 1 January; legal form changed from AG to GmbH.

• 2003

  With the timetable change on 22 December, the Buschhütten depot (former tram) was closed.

• 1996

  In November, VWS took over the local bus company Schmidt, which held the concession for today's line R11 between Kreuztal and Hilchenbach.

• 1970

  VWS formed on 12 January from the bus operations of Siegener Kreisbahn, merged into Kraftverkehr Olpe and renamed.

Regional public transport provider in Siegen-Wittgenstein and Olpe, integrated into the Westfalentarif fare system.

• Schnellbus (express bus) lines

• Regionalbus lines

• UniExpress lines

• Lokalbus lines

• Ausbildungslinien (training lines)

• Nachtbus (night bus) lines

• Citybus lines

• Hübbelbummler

• TaxiBus on-demand service

• DeutschlandTicket

• SchülerTicket

• MobilitätsCard

• JobTicket Westfalen

1. 1Startseite · VWS Siegenvws-siegen.de
2. 2Verkehrsbetriebe Westfalen-Südwikidata.org
3. 3Verkehrsbetriebe Westfalen-Südde.wikipedia.org